Church Youth Volunteer Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Crimes
William Pinckney Carpenter III, 64, of Chester, South Carolina plead guilty to four felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a child last week that spanned ten years from 2011 to 2021. Carpenter will avoid prison as the courts sentenced him to register as a sex offender and wear a GPS ankle bracelet for the rest of his life.
Carpenter faced 4 charges of touching children over their clothing when he was a volunteer at two Baptist churches in Rock Hill and York, at a private home, and aboard a bus during a church activity. A plea deal was reached and accepted by the court where Carpenter receives a 15-year prison concurrent sentence on each of the four convictions which was suspended to probation as part of the deal, according to the lawyers and court documents in the case.
Shelton, the prosecutor said after meeting with victims and getting their input, that the guilty plea and sentencing deal that mandates lifetime monitoring and Carpenter registering as a sex offender is an appropriate resolution. Probation and the sex registry have strict requirements concerning contact with children, counseling, residency, and other rules Carpenter must adhere to.
Carpenter had no prior record and accepted responsibility by pleading guilty. Carpenter must pay for the lifetime GPS monitoring and conform with all sex offender registry and probation rules.